Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-10-13
THE CRIMSON SCARF.

Chow old did you say?" asked the COM
mander-in- chief.
nineteen"
"And the man?"
"a little Older
The commander-in-c chief pulled his
cigar at thoughtful intervals. The war
was by twenty-five years thing OF the
past, but as head of great commercial
enterprise military title still chung to
him from out of his war experience, and
he did not dislike it, for some of his war
memories appeared to be his most cher
ished mental treasures. So he debated
with his cigar over the two young people
whose sentimental rashness had brought
them into public notice, and as he de-
bated he was looking back over the d.
verse panorama of two decades of life,
through the rifted smoke clouds of a
great rebellion at little drama that
seemed almost dream, but which to him
was, perhaps, the best remembered incl
dent of all the five years tight And
when he told it, half musingly, the list
eners did pot wonder. The ways of fate
are very diverse, and it sometimes hap
pens to the least Imaginative In the mad
dening crowd that face which is looked
into only for a moment is never forgot
ten in all the length of years that follow.
Perhaps it was SO with the commander
in-chief. Perhaps not. In any event,
nobody dared to ask.
s'In the fall of 1862" he began, 81 was
stationed with a detachment at Paint
Rock, Ala We were drawing on the
enemy for supplies; foraging, III fact
Our crackers and hard-tack we got from
Stevenson, but for fodder for our horses
and ANYTHING to add sumptuousness TO
tho ppearance of the frying pan we had
to<depend on the country. For some
weeks had sent ont the wagon train to
the east, the south east and down the val
lev of Paint Rock creek. The only direc-
ton for investigation was the west
where, at distance of twenty one miles
was Huntsville, then the capital of North
ern Alabama, which, up to the time OF
the war, had been wealthy arlstocratlc
and fashionable city. Well, one pleasant
morning sent the wagons across the
creek, and followed them with guard OF
twenty men. It was reported from time
to time that the country ahead of us was
full of Rebel guerilIas, but we saw no
signs OF them, and for two months had
no trouble whatever with any foe.
CATER crossing the creek the wagons
took road which wound along the foot
of spur at the Blue Ridge mountains,
which rose green, heavily wooded and
picturesque at our backs. We passed
several small clearings and plantations,
whose log houses were filed with hot
blooded and hot tempered southern NO.
men, whose evident desire to fay Us with
their fingernails rather interfered with
that sweet spirit of hospitality for which
th.aS a distance OF
seven miles halted the detachment at 8
cool but sinster-looking place in he road.
known in the country round about us as
The Gap
"sThe Gap was the entrance to pass
through one of the outlaying mountain
spurs. It was a deep hollow, heavily
wooded. The dense growth of towering
pines and frs grew close to the roadside.
The woody spaces were SO filled with I'M
derproWth and blockaded by fallen trees
that as you peered into the dark recesses
of the forest on either side q hostile army
might have been sheltered there without
your being able to perceive button. |
remember the looks of the place because
the first time I way it it made me rather
uneasy, and the last time but one saw it
I came near staying there for good, as
did, in fact, some other poor fellow who
were not SO fortunate.
sWell, after the rest, we kept on, ana a
few miles further we caL.e on a planta-
ton of $50 acres, with large and COM
Portable looking residence near the road
side. The wagons had reached there
long before US. They Wee being rapidly
filled from row of well-stOred corn
cribs at the back of the hsuse. l had
Just gotten off my horse near the door
when two girls came toward me, and If l
were not telling this story, gentlemen, l
would honestly declare that they were
the two prettiest girls that ever saw IN
my life.
ssThey we're, both tall and slender,
with graceful and womanly figures.
They were dressed In dark blue oallco,
and had no artificial aids to their fresh
young beauty, Their faces were INTEL
gent and full of resolution, yet marked
by that shyness which belongs to girls
who are we'll born and bred in compare
tive ssclusion. The elder, Ellen, was
dark-eyed, dark haired. Addie was IL,
two years younger than her sister, and a
yellow haired, and bIueeyed blonde.
The apparation they presented aston
ished Us. I think all the men took off
their hats instinctively. know did. As
my hat was a real Mexican sombero, and
matched the long Mexican spurs that
iingled at my heels was rather fond of
keeping it on my head.
ssIt was Ellen who spoke, the other
staying a little behind. Sir she said
in a troubled voice, you look like a
gentleman. One Of your men has taken
our guitar. It is all that we have left
and it is a great consolation. Will you
not be good enough to have it re
turned!"
''The guitar was returned to her forth